I am so excited about today’s release of CIRCUS MIRANDUS by the fabulous Cassie Beasley! This one is one my “must read this summer” list! Thank you for stopping by for the Blogger Blitz that I and so many other wonderful blogs are participating in. Thanks so much to Word Spelunking for organizing this! Ms. Beasley has sent along a very special letter sharing her feelings about seeing her book get published and all of the amazing support she has received so far.

More details about the book are below, as well as a Rafflecopter giveaway for a bunch of cool items, courtesy of Penguin Young Readers! Enter for a chance to win at the bottom of this post.

About CIRCUS MIRANDUS-

Micah Tuttle believes in magic, even though his awful Great-Aunt Gertrudis doesn’t approve. Micah believes in the stories his dying Grandpa Ephraim tells him of the magical Circus Mirandus: the invisible tiger guarding the gates, the beautiful flying birdwoman, and the magician more powerful than any other—the Man Who Bends Light. Finally, Grandpa Ephraim offers proof. The Circus is real—and the Lightbender owes Ephraim a miracle. With his friend Jenny Mendoza in tow, Micah sets out to find the Circus and the man he believes will save his grandfather. The only problem is, the Lightbender doesn’t want to keep his promise. And now it’s up to Micah to get the miracle he came for. Readers will fall in love with CIRCUS MIRANDUS, which celebrates the power of seeing magic in the world.

A letter from Ms. Beasley-

Dear Readers,

Ages ago I hung a poster in my room with the words “The Circus Opens Summer 2015” in bold letters across the top. At the time, it seemed that Summer 2015 would never come. Now, miraculously, June 2 is here, and Circus Mirandus is springing up in bookshops all over the country.

In the story, those called to Circus Mirandus feel a change in the wind. They hear music on the air, pipes and drums leading them toward magic and hope and heart’s desires. Eventually they find themselves before the gates, standing, as I am now, on the threshold of somewhere both wonderful and unknowable.

As people read the pages into which I’ve poured so much time and self, I wonder what they’ll think of the world I’ve created. I wonder if they will love it as much as I do. It’s an exciting moment, stepping through these gates into a place I’ve imagined but never seen.

Thank you so much for making this journey with me. Thank you for supporting the book. Thank you, most of all, for believing.

Cassie Beasley

About Cassie Beasley-

CASSIE BEASLEY is from rural Georgia, where, when she’s not writing, she helps out on the family pecan farm. She earned her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. CIRCUS MIRANDUS is her first novel.

Book Description: Award-winning authors Valarie Budayr and Marilyn Scott-Waters have co-created A Year in the Secret Garden to introduce the beloved children’s classic, The Secret Garden to a new generation of families. This guide uses over two hundred full color illustrations and photos to bring the magical story to life, with fascinating historical information, monthly gardening activities, easy-to-make recipes, and step-by-step crafts, designed to enchant readers of all ages. Each month your family will unlock the mysteries of a Secret Garden character, as well as have fun together creating the original crafts and activities based on the book.Over 140 pages, with 200 original color illustrations and 48 activities for your family and friends to enjoy, learn, discover and play with together. A Year In the Secret Garden is our opportunity to introduce new generations of families to the magic of this classic tale in a modern and innovative way that creates special learning and play times outside in nature. This book encourages families to step away from technology and into the kitchen, garden, reading nook and craft room.

A Year In The Secret Garden By Valarie Budayr 143 pages – ages 5+ Published by Audrey Press (2014)

What I liked about this book- This was a fun and unique activity book! Ms. Budayr has written a wonderful book, full of monthly activities, which is awesome by itself, but she also bases it on a classic book – The Secret Garden! Along with the crafts, recipes, and other fantastic stuff, Ms. Budayr has “Character Studies” which tell a little about the main characters and/or the time period that “The Secret Garden” takes place in. It is a great way of learning a bit more about a book that you really like. I think that I will reread The Secret Garden – with this marvelous book right beside me! I like how the activities and text of the book tie into every month of the year.

My little sister, Josie, was looking at the book, and she decided that she wanted to try an activity. She chose a bird-feeder (a December activity).

She cut a ribbon at a desired length, slid it through the roll, and tied it.

Then she hung it up in a local pine tree that was in our yard!

And there it is!

About the Author: Valarie Budayr

Valarie Budayr loves reading and bringing books alive. Her popular website, www.jumpintoabook.com, inspires children and adults alike to experience their books through play, discovery, and adventure.

She is founder of Audrey Press, an independent publishing house, as well as an Amazon and iTunes best-selling author. She has written The Fox Diaries: The Year the Foxes Came to our Garden and The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Valarie is passionate about making kid’s books come alive and encouraging families and schools to pull books off the shelves and stories off the pages.

About the Illustrator: Marilyn Scott-Waters

Marilyn Scott-Waters loves making things out of paper. Her popular website, www.thetoymaker.com, receives 2,000 to 7,000 visitors each day, who have downloaded more than six million of her easy-to-make paper toys. Her goal is to help parents and children spend time together making things.

She is the creator of a paper toy craft book series The Toymaker’s Christmas: Paper Toys You Can Make Yourself (Sterling), and The Toymaker’s Workshop: Paper Toys You Can Make Yourself (Sterling). She is also the co-creator with J. H. Everett of the middle grade nonfiction series, Haunted Histories, (Christy Ottaviano Books / Henry Holt Books for Young Readers). Ms. Scott-Waters illustrated The Search For Vile Things (Scholastic), and created paper engineering for Pop & Sniff Fruit (Piggy Toes Press).

* $100 Blog Tour Giveaway *

Prize: $100 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner’s choice)

Contest ends: December 7, 11:59 pm, 2014

Open: Internationally

How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter link below.

Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the authors Valarie Budayr and Marilyn Scott-Waters and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send and email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com.

Today I get to be part of a blog tour for a book I have been looking forward to – the next book in The Pen Pieyu Adventures – Sir Princess Petra’s Talent! The blog tour was organized by the Marvelous Ms. Morris of Kid Lit Reviews (click HERE). What’s more exciting is that I get to give away a copy of the new Princss Petra book to one lucky reader! WOO! Read to the end to figure out how to enter!

I reviewed the first Pen Pieyu Adventure in 2012 for International Read Aloud Day (click HERE to read that review).

I loved the character of Princess Petra, the princess who didn’t want to be “princessy” but wanted to be a knight. I really liked the writing style of Ms. Robinson too. I was very happy to hear Ms. Robinson wrote a second book in the series!

Sir Princess Petra’s Talent – Book 2 in The Pen Pieyu Adventures

by Diane Mae Robinson (Author)

92 pages – ages 7+

Published by Tate Publishing on September 24, 2013

Petra Longstride, princess of Pen Pieyu, the kingdom’s only princess knight (and the only actual knight), is angry. Her father, King Longstride, has made a new rule in the Royal Rulebook, one which states that all princesses in the Kingdom must go to a Talent School and get a certificate. Why can’t Petra’s parents just let her be a knightly princess, instead of a girly princess? Instead she has to go to talent school and figure out what talent she has.

This is a great sequel to “Sir Princess Petra!” There is action, romance (that Petra hates – apparently some guy is supposed to marry her, and he doesn’t want to, and Petra doesn’t want to marry him, so they call the thing off), excitement, burning buildings (Snarls, Petra’s friend and trusty steed, is a dragon…), and a lot of fun! I like the character of King Asterman, the guy who runs the Talent School. I really enjoyed the dialogue in the book. It made it fun to read. I love the character of Princess Petra! I like that she doesn’t want to be the girly princess! Her parents want her to be like this –

But knows she can be a brave and tough knight like this –

(NOTE: Thank you to Josie for being my Princess Petra model) The pencil sketch illustrations throughout the book are great and gives the reader an idea of what the characters look like. I also LOVED the talent Princess Petra finds out she has! The reading level is good for young advanced readers if you are looking for a god book for one. Ms. Robinson’s writing style makes this adventure fun and gets you into the characters. I am already looking forward to the next book!

Now for my rating of Sir Princess Petra’s Talent…

*PHUUU-SHUUUUU PHUUU-SHUUUUU*

Umm excuse me, I think I hear someone here…

*PHUUU-SHUUUUU PHUUU-SHUUUUU*

Wh-Who’s there?

It is I.

Oh – HI Lord Vader! I forgot today is

YAY!

This is a book review blog, right?

Yes it is! Thanks for dropping by! I am reviewing a great book today! Sorry I forgot it is Star Wars Reads Day.

I find your lack of memory disturbing, Young Reviewer.

Sorry. I am about to give this great book I am reviewing on Star Wars Reads Day five out of five bookworms!

I read this book. I like the feisty princess in the book. It reminds me of my daughter. Make it seven.

But my scale only goes to five.

I said make it SEVEN!

Uhhhh… I can’t Darth – QUICK – I give Princess Petra’s Talent FIVE out of FIVE bookworms!

Sorry Darth, I have to stick to my rules.

Hey – why are you raising your hand like that?

*GAK* Stop force-choking me! *GAK* I have to tell the readers about *GAK* the *GAK* GIVEAWAY!

{thud}

You have a point Young Reviewer. I shall allow this.

I get to give away a copy of Sir Princess Petra’s Talent to one lucky commenter! Just leave a comment in the section below and I will announce a winner (drawn randomly out of a hat by Josie) next Friday, October 11th!

I would like to add one thing Young Reviewer.

Okay Darth…

It’s pretty cool how you make your cape flutter like that. Can you teach me how to do it?

Happy Wednesday! I am VERY excited to be part of the Sidekicked blog tour! Check out all the stops on the tour by clicking HERE! I am also super excited that I get a chance to give away a copy of Sidekicked (read to the end for details). Most of all, I am extremely excited that author John David Anderson did an interview with me about his book Sidekicked!😀

Sidekicked

By John David Anderson

384 pages – ages 8+

Published by Walden Pond Press on June 25, 2013

Middle schooler, Andrew “Drew” Macon Bean couldn’t decide if it was good or bad to be a sidekick. His superpowers (super senses – extra good hearing, taste, touch, sight, and smell) make him super sensitive, so Drew thinks they are super lame. His Super, that he is a sidekick to (The Titan), is a super-drunk. Plus Drew is super-tired of keeping his super-secret identity super-secret. Drew thinks his Super is good for nothing, especially when The Titan doesn’t come to save him when Drew almost died. Instead Drew’s best friend’s Super rescues him. It all gets super worse when The Dealer (The Titan’s arch-nemesis who was thought to be dead) comes back and starts terrorizing the city and The Titan can’t be found. Supers are being kidnapped, and until the only Supers left in the city are The Fox and Mr. Masters (The Sidekick trainer) and the Sidekicks. Drew knows there is a mole in the few good-guys left, so Drew isn’t sure who is trustworthy. Drew has to call on the Super in him to try to save the day!

This book is AWESOME!!! I love superheroes! This was one of those books I couldn’t stop reading and I got in trouble for not listening to my parents because I couldn’t put it down (sorry mom and dad). The city that Mr. Anderson created for the story, Justicia, was an awesome setting and it was described very well. There was a bunch of action in this book and the plot was excellent! I was on the edge of my seat – 12 times (maybe more)!😉 Drew was a great character and I could totally understand how he feels. I love characters that have to challenge themselves to do something they think they can’t. I also think Drew was totally believable as an ordinary kid… with lame super powers.🙂

I give Sidekicked 5 out of 5 book worms!

Now for my interview with Mr. Anderson!

How did you come up with the idea to have a world full of heroes – and one who has the “lamest” powers possible?

It all started with the lame character, actually. I had to build the world around Drew and it took a couple of drafts and guidance from my trusty editor, Jordan, to fully create Justicia and the crazy, tights-wearing kooks that populated it. It was important that Drew not be too powerful—that he actual struggle with his dual identity as a middle-schooler and budding superhero. By granting him the power I did, I made it as much a curse as a blessing, which makes it even more rewarding when he learns how to manage it.

Which character of yours did you have the most fun writing about?

Being the narrator and the driving force of the novel (not to mention having my sense of humor) Drew was undoubtedly the most fun to write. But I also enjoyed exploring the Titan’s character as well. This idea of the “washed up” superhero intrigued me. Juxtaposing the Titan, who obviously has the power but has just stopped trying, with Drew, who is trying so hard but lacks the ability and experience, was one of the joys of writing the book. They both have a long way to go from the first page to the last.

Is there going to be a sequel to Sidekicked or are you working on another project?

I’ll be visiting the world of superheroes and villains again soon, though it won’t be from Drew’s perspective. This isn’t to say that I won’t ever revisit the H.E.R.O. program. I know “The Sensationalist” is out there, watching, listening…smelling, and I have no doubt he’d be game for another adventure. I just have to make sure I am.

What superpower would YOU like (the most)?

Nothing too powerful. I don’t have time to go around saving the world and all that nonsense (unless it was the power to stop time, but even then I’d probably just play more video games or catch up on my reading). Let’s say Food Flavor Transference.

That’s the power whereby I make celery taste like pepperoni pizza and everything else taste like mint-chocolate-chip ice-cream. I would call myself The Flavornator and would build my headquarters beneath the Food Pyramid where I would monitor mealtimes and make sure everyone ate their lima beans. Parents everywhere would worship me. And I’d be skinnier.

Batman or Superman?

Batman has better movies (mostly). Superman has a more colorful wardrobe and generally better hair. I’m going to cop out, though and go with Man-Bat, a not-so famous villain that Batman has faced on a number of occasions, making one wonder how hard it is to come up with new supervillain ideas. Man-Bat? Seriously?

And, now, the moment I’ve been waiting for! The part where I take a break andSuper Reader comes!

Illustration by Suzanne Bloom!

Why hello there fellow readers! You are now in the presence of the most amazing reader ever – ME! SUPER READER!

I’m supposed to give the rules for a giveaway.

You gotta comment, leave your email address in the little box where it asks for it, and say how awesome Super Reader is… okay they are telling me you DON’T have to say how great I am but you should say what super power you would like… or just leave a nice comment and you will be entered to WIN! The contest is open until July 29th and I will announce the WINNER of the copy of “Sidekicked” on the 30th!
Good Luck!
Good Reading!
Super Reader – OUT!

If you miss my give away – Walden Books is having their own where you can win an e-reader of the winners choice, a selection of superhero-themed e-books and signed copies of Sidekicked. It’s called “The Sidekicked Summer of Superheroes Sweepstakes”. Click HERE to go THERE!

Susanna Leonard Hill has a feature on her blog called Perfect Picture Book Friday. It is a list of “perfect” picture books recommended by all sorts of people. I chose this book because it is a Bad Kitty book AND a Christmas book! Great combo at this time of year!

A Bad Kitty Christmas

By Nick Bruel

40 pages – ages 4+

Published by Roaring Brook Press on September 13, 2011

Theme/Topic – Christmas Spirit/Being Grateful/Alphabet/Rhyming

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Opening and Synopsis –

‘Twas the night before Christmas,and all through the cityNot a creature was stirring …BLAM CRASH KABOOM!… Except for Bad Kitty.

Kitty has ruined the presents for Christmas. She’s being GREEDY and a bad, BAD Kitty and she doesn’t seem to care. As Kitty and her family are driving to Uncle Murray’s house for a visit, Kitty jumped out the window because she was still mad she got yelled at! Kitty soon regrets what she did. She is cold, lost miserable and surrounded by rats! She hid in an alley and was found by a poor, but kindly, old lady. The lady brings her to her apartment and teaches her the true spirit of Christmas. Kitty then realizes what she did and gets homesick. Will anyone come to find her?

Why I liked this book – First off, Bad Kitty + Christmas + Rhyme + Alphabet = a very funny, book about the true spirit of Christmas and a (very) naughty cat. Need I say more? Well the long version is; I really liked this version of Bad Kitty and Mr. Bruel REALLY made funny rhymes (and alphabet sets – yes! There are FIVE alphabet sets in this book and they all rhyme!) to go with the book. He is one creative guy! What is even better is that along with all those alphabet sets, there is an awesome story about family and what Christmas is really about. I really like how this book teaches the true meaning of Christmas in a funny, Bad Kitty way! I think kids and adults will really enjoy this book. It is also great for a read aloud, especially for Christmas!

AND – As a Christmas gift to one lucky reader, I picked up a copy of this (wonderful) book at the Lititz Book festival, asked Mr. Bruel to sign it (which he did) and brought it back for a giveaway for Christmas! Read on to see how to enter to win!

Activities and Resources –

You can visit Mr. Bruel’s website HERE to learn more about him and Bad Kitty.

You can read a great PPBF review of the first Bad Kitty book by Ms. Barbara from Grade ONEderful HERE!

A great activity for this time of year is to talk to your child about the Christmas Spirit and helping someone in need by donating to a charity! HERE is a great post from Kirsten Larson of the Creating Curious Kids blog about giving to charities and getting kids involved!

I’ve heard Mr. Bruel talk at a couple of events and I like how he says that Bad Kitty belongs to everyone, not just him. One great activity to do with your kid is to write your own Bad Kitty adventure. I wrote a couple on my own and in fact, I hosted a kid-writing contest last year where I had 46 kids enter the contest! You can see the winners HERE.

Here is an entry that won a prize and it is good for this time of year –

It was submitted by Isabell age 6. She wrote “Bad Kitty jumped in a pile of tartar sauce and got tartar sauce all over the tree” – Christmas tree that is! It is cool to see how creative you can be with a Bad Kitty adventure!

How are you all doing in the hurricane? Our electric already went out but now we have a generator!🙂 The good news is I get another day off of school!! The bad news is we don’t know how long our electric will be out.

On to the give away!

The great high-seas adventure story Sea Cutter by Timothy Davis has just been published in paperback! A while ago, I reviewed Sea Cutter (click HERE) as an ebook and gave it a 5 bookworm rating! Sea Cutter is an awesome adventure story with great characters that boys and girls will LOVE! To celebrate the paperback being published I am giving away a copy of Sea Cutter. To enter, just comment and say one (or more) thing(s) you like about the ocean or boats (or you can do both!). On November 7th I will…well, Josie will, pick a name from all the people who commented from a hat and that person will win the book! If you want to read an adult’s opinion on Sea Cutter, visit Donna L. Sadds blog (click HERE). She is posting a review of Sea Cutter today! Michelle Isenhoff interviewed her two boys about the book on her blog Bookworm Blather click HERE to go to it and read her kid’s opinions!

Hmm the cover of Sea Cutter looks a bit like the weather we’ve been having! Stay safe from Frankenstorm!🙂

The Contest is closed! Please check back becasue I am always having other contests and give-aways! Thanks for reading my blog!

A Bad Kitty Story Idea Contest!

In my post on November 4th about the Nick Bruel book signing I went to at Harleysville Books, I told you that the kids in the audience were saying all sorts of Bad Kitty story ideas to Mr. Bruel and he said that what is great about Bad Kitty is that she belongs to all of us and we should try writing our own ideas down. When he asked me if I was going to try it, I said “I don’t know”. I said that because I am not really a good writer and it’s hard for me to write ideas out. When we got home my mom said to me “But that’s why Mr. Bruel said that. You have to try to write to become a better writer.” So I decided to write my ideas down. Then I thought it would make a cool contest because I would really like to read all of your ideas and maybe it would help get other kids (and adults you’re welcome too ) to write their ideas down and help get EVERYBODY writing more! So here are the rules –

1. Write your idea down in 400 words or less. It doesn’t have to be a whole story, just an idea. Even if you aren’t familiar with the Bad Kitty books (well…you should be😉 ) just think of a cranky cat and come up with a story idea about it!

2. You can leave your idea in the comment section or email it to me at Erik@thiskidreviewsbooks.com . You can include drawings (you’ll have to email them because you can’t leave them in the comment section) but make sure the files are .doc , .docx , .jpg, .gif or .pdf.

3.If you’re a kid write what your age is. MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE A VALID EMAIL ADDRESS SO THAT I CAN EMAIL YOU BACK IF YOU WON!!

4. The contest is open for 3 weeks (BUT TODAY IS THE LAST DAY!!!!) after that the judges have a week to pick their favorite ideas from all of them. The awesome people that agreed to be judges are

Timothy Davis, author of the exciting adventure stories – “Chronicles of Nathaniel Childe.” Check out my review of Book 1 of the series “Sea Cutter” HERE. Visit Mr. Davis’ website HERE. PLUS you can get ebook versions of Mr. Davis’ two adventure novels FREE until December 15th!

Michelle Isenhoff, author of some of the best historical fiction books I’ve read! Her new adventure novel is “The Quill Pen”. I reviewed Ms. Isenhoff’s book “Broken Ladders HERE and I will be reviewing “The Quill Pen” soon so check back! You can visit Ms. Isenhoff’s website HERE AND you can get an ebook version of “The Quill Pen” FREE until Thanksgiving!

5. Each judge picks their favorite from all the entries. From the three chosen Mrs. Shelly Plumb, owner of Harleysville Books and another awesome person (visit Harleysville Books HERE), will rank the entries and first, second and third places will be given and prizes will be awarded for each (see below for prizes). If two (or more) of the judges pick the same entry, an alternate judge (my parents) will pick an additional entry for the final selection. Winners will be notified 10 days after the contest ends.

6. A NOTE FROM MY PARENTS – This contest is not endorsed or supported by Nick Bruel or any of his agents (It’s just the idea of a nine year old). If you are under 18 you have to ask permission from your parents to enter. By entering the contest you agree that the winning entries can be published and shared by This Kid Reviews Books and its’ sponsors. No identifying information (only first names) will be published. Emails will only be used to contact winners.

NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF!!! –PRIZES

First (1st) prize is a stupendous prize pack! It Includes a signed copy of “A Bad Kitty Christmas”, a signed Copy of “Bad Kitty Meets the Baby”, A PERSONALIZED signed copy of “Mystic Phyles –Beasts” (GENEROUSLY donated by Stephanie Brockway), a copy of “The Lost Hero” by Rick Riordan (GENEROUSLY donated by Harleysville Books) and a This Kid Reviews Books T-shirt!!

Second (2nd) Prize is another totally cool prize pack! It includes a signed copy of “A Bad Kitty Christmas”, a copy of “The Dragon’s Tooth” by N.D. Wilson (GENEROUSLY donated by Harleysville Books) and a This Kid Reviews Books t-shirt!!

Third (3rd) place is another great prize pack! It includes a signed copy of “A Bad Kitty Christmas” and a This Kid Reviews Books t-shirt!

NEW PRIZE JUST ADDED!!!

Erik’s pick – (After seeing some of the AWESOME entries, I wanted to get into the action and pick MY favorite)

The winner of Erik’s pick will get a copy of “Bad Kitty Christmas” AND a small Bad Kitty stuffed animal :)

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To give you an example of an entry, I came up with this idea…

“Bad Kitty versus Cute Kitten” by Erik age 9

Bad Kitty’s owners bring home a house guest, Cute Kitten. Cute Kitten’s owners are away on vacation and Bad Kitty’s owners are pet sitting her. Cute Kitten is the cutest, sweetest, most adorable kitten you ever saw. Even Bad Kitty is on her best behavior (mostly, at least it’s a kitten, not a dog) while Cute Kitten is there. Bad Kitty’s owners think that Bad Kitty is having horrible behavior while Cute Kitten “gets use to the house.” What Cute Kitten is really doing is wrecking the house and blaming Bad Kitty by looking at Bad Kitty’s owners with her adorable eyes. Bad Kitty does not know how to convince her parents it’s not her doing the bad things but it is EVIL CUTE KITTEN!! Will Truth and Justice (Bad Kitty) finally win? Or will Evil and Lying (Cute Kitten) take over?!